Chicago City Wire

David Dewar, a conservative activist and self-described “Trump MAGA Republican,” has announced his campaign to challenge Democratic State Rep. Mary Gill in Illinois’ 35th House District.

Dewar said his campaign focuses on traditional values, parental rights, and opposition to illegal immigration.

“Our motto, and this is my campaign motto too, is ‘liberty is dependent upon godly, virtuous candidates,’” Dewar told Chicago City Wire. “And that's what our Founding Fathers said anyhow. So I believe we've gotten into this mess because we've gone astray from our basis of being a Judeo-Christian country.”

Dewar believes that personal integrity and spiritual grounding are essential qualities for public officials.

“If a candidate, or a politician or a legislator, has a real faith with God, they're not gonna be tempted to take offers they can't refuse for power, for money, for sex, for drugs,” he said. “They're gonna have a relationship with God, and they're gonna do what's best for their constituents. So that's very important to me to say liberty is dependent upon virtue. And that we lead with God, like our currency says, 'In God We Trust.' We've abandoned that, and it's become a free-for-all. So I want to bring that back.”

Dewar ran against Gill in the 2024 Democratic primary, receiving 15.6% of the vote. Gill won the general election with 61.9%.

Dewar is now running as a “Trump MAGA Republican” and said he believes the political environment is shifting.

“All (Democrats) do is they create additional taxes to strip away our hard-earned money to give to illegals, so I'm against all of that, and common sense must reign,” he said. “So that's what I would do if I get in office, I'm going to be against illegal immigration and put the power back to the people.”

He described the 35th District as stretching from Chicago’s 85th and Loomis area through Beverly, Mount Greenwood, Crestwood, and Orland Park.

“The battleground is going to be the Chicago portion, especially the African-American community, and they’re due to go conservative now,” he said. “There’s a bigger turnout coming to vote red.”

Dewar himself is affiliated with the Black Chicagoan conservative group Chicago Flips Red. 

He says two defining issues of his campaign are parental rights and illegal immigration. On parental rights, Dewar criticized legislation passed by Illinois Democrats that blocked a 2024 ballot referendum question on parental notification. 

The Parents Matter Coalition, a conservative group supported by former Republican state Rep. Jeanne Ives, had launched a signature campaign for a ballot question regarding parental consent for gender-affirming therapy for minors.

The Parents Matter Coalition’s proposed ballot question asked: "Shall the written consent from a minor's parent or guardian be required before any entity, person, clinic or school can provide a minor (under the age of 18 years) any non-emergency medical procedure, medication, pharmaceutical, or any gender modification procedure, gender identification counseling or gender therapy?" 

The legislature blocked the effort, replacing it with other questions on the ballot.

Dewar has since revised the blocked referendum question into a new petition for the 2026 ballot and is collecting signatures to bring it forward again. 

“They bypassed that question and put their own three questions on the ballot, so that one was eliminated,” Dewar said. “What I'm doing in my campaign is circulating a revised petition to have that referendum question on the ballot for the November 3rd, 2026 election, and everyone signs it.”

Dewar also criticized his opponent’s position on parental rights. 

“Mary Gill voted for that,” he said. “She has kids herself, but she voted against parents having the right to know if their child is getting a sex change or an abortion.”

He added that the issue resonates across party lines.

“Regardless of where somebody is politically, many don’t know. They need to be educated, informed, and empowered to be aware of this,” Dewar said. “We’re giving them back the power in my campaign by first signing the petition, and then by letting them know that my opponent voted against their parental rights.”

On illegal immigration, Dewar condemned state spending and legal protections for undocumented immigrants.

“Not only the safety aspect of not incarcerating undocumented immigrants who are criminals and transferring them over to ICE, but also the cost of illegal immigration, which is over $3 billion here in Illinois,” he said.

Dewar also spoke out against House Bill 5164, saying Gill supported legislation he believes endangers communities and strains resources. 

“Gill voted with House Bill 5164, allowing name changes that continue to harbor undocumented immigrants,” Dewar said. “That is stripping away our financial resources. They’re also endangering the community because now you have pedophiles, sex offenders, and other undesirables taking advantage of that.”

He is circulating additional petitions created by the conservative group Behind Enemy Lines, which call for law enforcement, including Chicago police, to cooperate with ICE.

Dewar is a leader in Trump Illinois MAGA Official, a grassroots group with over 3,000 members focused on pro-Trump rallies and events. The group bans non-MAGA content and operates statewide.

He is helping organize a Flag Wave Rally on August 10 in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge neighborhood to mark what members call “Trump’s 200 days in office.” Dewar said the event will be peaceful, family-friendly, and focus on “patriotism, faith, and the America First agenda.” GOP candidates Niki Conforti and Christine McGovern are expected to attend.

Outside politics, Dewar runs Tax-Free Retirement Solutions, a financial consultancy where he advises clients on how to avoid heavy retirement taxes through life insurance and annuities. 

“I show people how to retire in the tax-free bucket,” he said. “You want to pay taxes on the seeds, not the harvest.”

A Mount Greenwood resident for more than 40 years, Dewar often appears in local parades as Uncle Sam, singing the National Anthem in character. 

He is active in the Oak Lawn Chamber of Commerce, has sponsored banners honoring veterans through the Hometown Heroes program, and supports causes benefiting the homeless and seniors. Dewar has donated to the Lions Club and helps small businesses connect through a Facebook group he founded.

He also serves as president of Restore American Liberty, a national conservative organization promoting Christian values in government. Dewar said he believes the government should return to the principles of the nation’s founding. 

“We’ve abandoned God, and it’s become a free-for-all,” he said. “It’s not ‘In politicians we trust.’ It’s ‘In God we trust.’”